Berlin Photos

London – Week 2

During the second week in London I met with the following organisations:

• National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
• Philharmonia
• BBC Symphony Orchestra

National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
This meeting with Sarah Alexander, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of NYOGB was utilised to learn further about the organisation’s approach to student leadership, creativity and commissioning, which to a level she discussed in her presentation at the Association of British Orchestras conference.

NYOGB’s approach to new music is that it is all about creativity, taking risks and developing the listening skills of the student musicians. A particular way NYOGB is developing the musicians’ listening and aural skills is through singing. The utilisation of singing was to acknowledge that young people connect and engage with music in many different ways.

At every NYOGB residency there are opportunities for musicians to engage with composers. For example, composers are given 10 minutes of rehearsal time to use creatively with the musicians to test sound and rhythm ideas, supported with recording. Prior to the residency, orchestral leaders as part of developing their communicative and creative skills are engaged in the first stage of the creative development of new works.

Sarah’s background is in theatre and due to that she thinks in a way where she wants to empower orchestral musicians to be equal and for all musicians to take ownership and pride for the results created in the concert hall, as actors do in theatre.

As part of the orchestra’s holistic approach, students regularly undertake physical warm ups lead by actors which relate to people skills, communication and playfulness. The 15 minutes dedicated to warm ups has significantly reduced injuries and helped the students to better engage with their peers.

Philharmonia Orchestra
Lindsay Wilson, Director of Education met with me to outline the work which the Philharmonia delivers as part of its education program, which relates to the organisation’s unique selling points.

• Esa Pekka Salonen
• Digital
• Regional residencies

Types of education work which Philharmonia delivers include:

• Schools
• Community
• Adult
• Instrumental Learning
• Emerging Artists

Philharmonie’s musicians are very key to the delivery and creation of the company’s education program. Presently close to 95% of the company’s education work is delivered by Philharmonia musicians.

Philharmonia has one and half education staff and with the organisation’s smallness there is a greater flexibility as to how the education program is delivered compared to other companies who are constrained by longer lead times and lesser availability of musicians due to the orchestra’s significant concert schedule.

Digital at present not a key part of classroom education, apart from the iPad app http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/shop/114/the_orchestra_app

A key aspect of the education program is live projects such as Re-Rite and Universe of Sound where students and teachers in non-traditional spaces can experience the orchestra with teacher training, guided tours and play along / side-by-side workshops with the Philharmonia.

Here is an example of Re-Rite http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plpp&list=PLqR22EoucCyewMi0KJbM1wQSGdfkMfugr&v=SAIjX6C6Gxg

The latest project which Philharmonia is developing for delivery in Devon and Cornwall which will utilise digital content, live concerts and engagement is: MusicLab a two year project being delivered over 2014-15 which is pushing boundaries in terms of education, orchestral engagement and the organisation’s outreach. This project is being delivered as a consortium with three music hubs, local authorities and a university.

For a number of years as part of the orchestra’s regional residencies, the company has been delivering educational works, in locations such as Bedford, Leicester, Canterbury and Basingstoke. One of their early projects was Orchestra Unwrapped in Leicester which originally evolved as a way to secure the orchestra’s ongoing support from the Council.

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Commenced their education program about ten to twelve years ago and has only become more formalised in last few years.

The areas of education which BBCSO deliver are:

• Schools
• Families and public participation
• Talent nurturing
• Audience development

Talent nurturing is very broad it includes creative projects which responds to the orchestra’s artistic projects, e.g. forthcoming Villa Lobos day at the Barbican.

Come and Play which occurred on Sunday 9 February is a fully open access project where anyone can register to join a few BBCSO musicians (circa 5) to rehearse a couple of works on the course for the day. On 9 February, Michael Seal from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra rehearsed Mussorgsky arr. Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition and Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 Pathetique.

Schools programs since the establishment of music hubs has significantly changed to a model of partnering with three to four schools in different ways that best suits the schools, in terms of concerts, talks and schools concert at Maida Vale, which also incorporate creative exercises.

FamIlies – BBCSO do not deliver family concerts, rather they deliver pre-concert workshops for up to 225 families with cheap tickets and manage a family orchestra project where any number of family members can join the orchestra with roughly 100 participants with music making that is fairly loose and organic, which connects to BBCSO repertoire. This orchestra performs at the Proms and can also pop up elsewhere around London / UK.

BBCSO has partnerships with Royal College of Music and the Guildhall. RCM students undertake placements as part of professional development. Guildhall composers participate in an octet project where four of the musicians are from the BBCSO and the other four are from the Guildhall. The composers are also mentored by the BBCSO musicians as part of the young composers skills development.

Villas Lobos full immersion project involves a high level creative process, to create a new work to be created and performed by 30 students aged between 12 and 18, a street band of brass and samba drums, plus a music service school chorus, supported by a family chorus and the BBC Singers. The final work created with a facilitator with a very clear brief is a 10-15 minute long work which will also be documented by BBC Radio 3 for an interval feature.

Whilst in London, due to the tube strike it wasn’t possible to attend the LSO and Philharmonia concerts. While that was so I did hear the Royal Opera House orchestra accompany the Royal Ballet performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini and Poulenc’s Gloria. I also attended some of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Come & Play rehearsal of Mussorgsky arr. Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition.

London – Week 1

Tuesday 28 January
Wigmore Hall Learning: Met with Cath Sewell where I gained a very thorough and in depth knowledge about Wigmore’s early years, school and outreach learning programs. Particularly of interest was the inclusive approach that all types of music and music making are valued as equal and where the focus is about quality learning experiences which ideally have some legacy.

Wednesday 29 January – Friday 31 January
Association of British Orchestras Conference
LSO St Luke’s and Barbican Centre
The two and a half day conference featured presentations from music educators, orchestral management, musicians and public servants from funding agencies. The presentations which ranged from place-making, youth orchestras, digital learning, how orchestras engage with society to music education were all very inspiring and thought provoking. Many of the presentations gave me ideas as to things which AdYO might like to do or could do better.

Some of the highlights of the sessions included Sarah Alexander’s presentation about the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Music Hubs case studies and how the CEO of Detroit Symphony has recreated the organisation’s purpose to ensure it remains relevant and valued during a time of financial turmoil. This is barely scratching the surface as nearly every presentation was highly memorable, informative and demonstrated interesting and new ideas.

As part of the conference I also attended a Reception hosted by The Lord Mayor of London at Mansions House, a LSO concert with Janine Jansen performing Brahms Violin Concerto and a memorable conference dinner with great company and choral singing of Verdi and Britten led by the LSO’s Chorus Master, Simon Halsey.

Before starting my second week in London, I was fortunate to enjoy two relaxing days with my Aunt and Uncle in North Somerset near Bristol.

Sage Gateshead

Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne
Friday 24 to Sunday 26 January 2014

Thanks to Debbie Little, Sage Gateshead’s Placement and Volunteer Coordinator, I was given numerous opportunities to meet with their leadership team, attend and participate in learning activities, observe rehearsals and to hear the Royal Northern Sinfonia in concert.

Sage Gateshead own the building with numerous flexible performance and learning spaces, combined with a deep passion and respect for all musics and learning, they have and deliver one of UK’s most innovative and visionary learning programs. Whether you are in-utero or close to death, the Sage has a music learning opportunity for you.

My whirlwind visit commenced with a brief tour of the building, followed by attending action packed early years making music class attended by 20 0-5 year olds, with numerous songs and interactive activities for mother / grandparent and child to do at the class, learn and then perhaps do them also at home.

Having barely caught breath, I met Hannah Reynolds, Planning Manager, Royal Northern Sinfonia who gave me an overview of the Sinfonia’s activity and the contributions the Sinfonia make to Sage’s learning programs. As Royal Northern Sinfonia is part of Sage Gateshead and it is UK’s only full-time chamber orchestra, the players involvement and engagement with learning is very straight forward. Types of learning the Sinfonia are involved with include: school visits, tutoring of students in the youth sinfonia and other learning programs, supporting the In Harmony program, leading workshops and youth concerts.

Then I met, Jacqui Cameron, Young Musicians Programme Manager who manages Sage’s Centre for Advanced Training, Saturday instrumental lessons and musicianship classes and the centre’s regional ensembles which include folk, jazz, choral and orchestral.

Rosie Thomas, who manages Sage’s trusts and appeals gave me bit of an oversight as to how they obtain funds through foundations, corporations and individual donors. They raise funds through friends programs, chairs sponsorship and other appeals. At present they have a major goal to achieve which if they do will be matched by 50% by the British Arts Council’s catalyst scheme.

To finish the day of meetings, I met Ed Milner who is the Head of Music Learning, Learning and Participation Department. This meeting allowed me to learn about how the organisation’s culture of all music being equal and the holistic learning approach. In short, well before the building was built just over 10 years ago, people from diverse music organisations met and formed the North East Music Trust which manages the Sage and they came to the clear view that performance and education are equally important.

The Sage’s music education program consists of:

• Early years
• Schools programs
• Young musicians
• Degree programs hosted with Sunderland University
• Youth Participation
• Community

Over the weekend I attended two musicianship classes where I participated in classes based on Kodaly and Dalcroze methodologies and observed the Youth Sinfonia sight reading Beethoven Symphony No 8.

On the Saturday evening we were fortunate to hear a very fine concert with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, directed by Lars Vogt. In that concert we heard them perform Beethoven Coriolan Overture, Mozart Piano Concerto No 24, Beethoven Symphony No 4 and then as a surprise, four of the Sinfonia performed Beethoven’s op 95 quartet.

Newcastle upon Tyne photos

Edinburgh

Monday 20 January 2014

Meeting with Lucy Foorde, SCO Connect Director

SCO Education outcomes are not about the number of students who participate, but it is more about delivering high quality programs, engagement and the programs legacy.

SCO Connect oversees all of SCO’s education and outreach programs.

The main orchestral education related programs which SCO deliver are SCO Vibe, master class, family concerts, masterworks and residencies.

SCO Vibe
Its focus is about children from all ages and walks of life in creating music. Musicians from SCO and Edinburgh Music Service deliver the programs in schools and then during a weekend or school holidays a more advanced program exists for students, led by animateur, Paul Griffiths.

Masterworks
It began in 1998 and over time it has evolved and changed. The aim is to help make contemporary or more challenging music more accessible. It is a project that is aimed predominantly for students studying classroom music. To ensure the project’s longevity a detailed program of teacher in-servicing, workshops with SCO musicians and classroom activities. A key part of ensuring the project’s legacy is the investment into the program from schools and the local music services.

Residencies
The focus of residencies is to find how can SCO and the school can create an embedded relationship over a period of time so that it can achieve numerous educational, cultural and social impacts throughout the whole school.

SCO Vibe Workshop at Canongate Youth Services, Edinburgh
I participated in a two-hour workshop with a percussionist and singer working with approximately 10 teenagers who have or are about to leave school. The project taught musical and social skills and allowed every participant to create music through improvisation using voice and /or hand percussion. By the end of the workshop the participants created refined improvisations and learnt new musical skills.

Wednesday 22 January 2014
Meeting with Roy McEwan OBE, Chief Executive SCO

SCO is recognised as a national performing arts company which receives it funding directly from the Scottish Government. As part of the funding there are no prescriptive educational outcomes, rather it is a case that it is an expected outcome as part of the organisation’s overall programs.

Education programs commenced in the 1980s where there was a lot of activity, without perhaps the level of current focus on teacher resources and quality. The organisation’s culture is now of learning across life and that is central to everything they do.

SCO Exploring Music Lecture
Tom Wilkinson at University of Edinburgh presented a two-hour lecture for an audience of about 10 people aged over 50 about Mozart’s symphonies no 36 ‘Linz’ and no 40 and ‘Great’ Mass in C minor. Three works which SCO will perform in April and May 2014. The workshop covered aspects of Mozart’s style, harmonic language, orchestration and performance practice.

Birmingham Photos

Manchester Photos

Edinburgh Photos

Manchester

Manchester
Sunday 12 to Wednesday 15 January 2014

Sunday 12 January
Observed Halle Youth Orchestras wind, brass and percussion sectional rehearsing Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique in preparation for a side-by-side performance in February 2014 with the Halle.

Monday 13 January
Attended Association of British Orchestras North West Youth Orchestras round table meeting at Halle St Peters. The round table was held to discuss research undertaken about UK’s regional youth orchestras and to discuss ways they can address issues and create opportunities through partnering with other youth orchestras, professional orchestras and Borough music services.

Meeting with Steve Pickett, Head of Education, Halle
During this meeting I learnt about their programs which each year provides 70 programs attended by 44,000 students and teachers.

Halle’s education program in recent times in part due to hubs and new curriculum has become more strategic and a coordinated response.

4 areas the education programs cover are:
Curriculum support – classroom music
Instruments support – instrumental music hub and teaching
Access to performances
Access for students with special needs

Halle’s musicians are actively involved with the education program and receive a lot of mentoring.

Halle also provides professional experience opportunities for students studying at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University.

Tuesday 14 January 2014
Meeting with John Summers, Chief Executive, Halle

John created the youth orchestra at the Halle to create a professional and meaningful role for the orchestra’s assistant conductor.

His approach since his time at Sage Gateshead has been that education plays a key role in the orchestras future and in no way does it make you a lesser orchestra.

Based on this discussion, it has given me much food for thought as to how AdYO can strengthen and grow its relationship with the ASO.

Meeting with Naomi Benn, Head of Ensembles
Very brief meeting due to Naomi being busy. In short a brief discussion occurred about Halle Youth Orchestra. Halle YO exists it provide orchestral opportunities for students who don’t have opportunities at school or at the conservatoire. The approach they have with all of the students is to treat them like they are professionals with communication for over 13s going to the student, so that they are responsible for their own participation This occurs after initially advising the parents of this.

Halle Youth Orchestra don’t commission works due to lack of funds for commissioning.

Wednesday 15 January 2014
Attended Halle Concert at The Bridgewater Hall where they performed Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances.